Testing large software systems is a complicated process. Testing may include conducting long sequences of individual steps in particular orders. Testing a large software system may involve a team of testers who conduct testing over weeks or months. When testing newly added functionality, it may be desirable to be able to repeat the original testing of previously existing functionality to assure that the newly added functionality has not damaged the previously existing functionality. Maintaining a document or other artifact that can be used to guide testing may promote the repeatability of tests. Testing documents can also be used to record testing progress, for example checking off or otherwise designating tests as completed, and to generate reports for management.
The Mercury TestDirector™ is a software product that supports defining tests and requirements, tracking testing progress, and generating reports on testing activities. The TestDirector™ provides several different functionalities related to testing. In one operating environment, TestDirector™ provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the user to examine and define requirements through a requirements module, to examine and define test cases through a test case module, and to examine and define test sets through a test lab module. The test case may be the smallest quantum of test activity represented in the TestDirector™. An example of a test case is logging into a customer account creation application. A test case, when executed, may involve multiple steps, for example providing a user name and a password, but this additional level of detail may not be captured in the TestDirector™ tool. A test set may comprise one or more test cases. An example of a test set is executing the test case of logging into a customer account creation application, executing the test case of providing customer information, executing the test case of confirming customer information, and executing the test case of completing customer account creation. A test set is defined within the TestDirector™ by creating links to a series of test cases.